The Comparison of Attachment Styles in People with and Without Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract

Objectives: The present study compared attachment styles in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and healthy controls (non-CAD subjects). Methods: This was a descriptive study with an ex-post facto design. The sample included 60 people (30 patients with CAD and 30 healthy controls), attending the office of an interventional cardiologist in Mashhad, selected by a convenience sampling method. They completed the adult attachment questionnaire. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance. Results: The results of multivariate analysis of variance revealed that there was a significant difference in attachment styles between CAD patients and healthy controls so that healthy controls in the secure attachment style and CAD patients in the insecure attachment styles had a higher score. Conclusions: The findings confirm that attachment styles are more insecure in CAD patients than in healthy people. These results suggest that insecure attachment styles increase the risk of coronary heart disease.